Ms Leanne Smith

Leanne Smith is an Australian diplomat and lawyer with experience in political analysis, policy development, bilateral and multilateral negotiations, crisis management, legal drafting, project management and implementation of international law, particularly in the field of human rights and rule of law.  She has extensive experience working in the Australian judicial system, the NGO sector, regional human rights organisations, the Australian Government and the United Nations - across Southeast Asia, Africa, the Balkans and Afghanistan.

Leanne has recently returned from New York where she served as Chief of Policy and Best Practice for the United Nations Departments of Peacekeeping Operations and Field Support where she led work on protection of civilians, conflict rlated sexual violence, women, peace and security, child protection, community engagement and peacebuilding. She also led policy reform, guidance development, lessons learning and good practice for peacekeeping.

 Leanne is a viisting fellow at the ANU's Asia-Pacific Centre for Diplomacy and UNSW's Human Rights Law Centre. She was a Religion, Diplomacy and International Relations Fellow, and Law and Public Policy Fellow at Princeton University and she holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

 Leanne has a strong applied background in post conflict institution rebuilding at multilateral, bilateral, national levels. She has been involved in capacity building at specific organisational levels together with on-ground coordination of multilateral and civil-military operations.

Leanne has published a number of articles on Australian foreign policy and international human rights, rule of law and development as well as the United Nations and women, peace and security. 

This information has been contributed by Ms Smith.